Adding Ventilation

[Katiedid]

My dad and I built an adorable coop using a pattern from a book. I love it to bits, but we dropped the ball on ventilation. We have two plexiglass windows that at present are not removable. They are, of coarse, not a standard size. I have some time in the next few months and would like to add appropriate ventilation. Our winters go down to about 0F and are summers are in the 100 range, I'd like to be able to open and close the ventilation. My construction skills aren't great and I'd like to keep the coop looking nice, so I don't mind paying for something pre-made. I just can't seem to find it on line. Our coop is sized for 8 standard breed hens, if that makes a difference.

Anyone have any tips? I keep reading about how important ventilation is, but I can't figure out how to do it while still allowing for cold weather protection.

 

[Nicole01]

Can you post a picture or two of your coop? That would help a ton.

Skipping on ventilation could be very harmful for the chickens. We cover some/most the ventilation in the winter to keep the heat in and remove it in the summer.

 

[joan1708]

There are hundreds of coops with as many variations in ventilation found at this website. Look through them and you will figure out the answer. I think a book or two also helps. I have Gail Damerow's books and Harvey Ussery's book to help me separate the useful information from the BS (there's some of that on this site as well).

 

[thecoopbuilder]

If you have at least a few vents at lest 12"x4" you should not have a problem in the summer, but as others have said I would like to see a photo to have a better idea.

 

[Tigertrea]

We used our plexiglass to make a window that opens. We just framed the plexiglass and the coop with 1X3s

Not sure if this pic gives you the idea of what we did. The plexiglass is just screwed (pre-drilled the holes) to 1X3s. It is hinged at the top and there are 1X3's framing where it comes down onto the coop. I may need to weather strip some of it come winter but, it works well for us. (hardware cloth on the inside of the coop covering the window opening of course)

 

[terryg]

The best ventilation that you can add to a coop is a cupola (why you see so many old barns with them.) Hot air and moisture rises, but no drafts. You don't have to worry about cold (I live in New England and have never had to heat an uninsulated, well-ventilated barn) but you do have to worry about heat in the summer. A cupola will drop the temp in a coop by 10 degrees. Also, remember that chicken manure is 75% water and gives off ammonia fumes as it breaks down. You really want good circulation to move that air up and out, especially on days when you have to close the windows because of stormy weather.

BTW, you can see my coops on live streaming cams at www.HenCam.com

 

[joan1708]

looks good!

 

[Katiedid]

Here is the coop prior to the run being added and the chickens arriving. I can't remember the measurements off hand, but I'm 5"5 and stand comfortably under the metal roof. The back of the coop has a large door that I use to enter and the far side is the same as the side showing except it has no openings to collect eggs. Our current strategy, because of the location of the run is to leave all the doors open in the daytime. I'm not a big fan of this strategy, because although the back door is big enough for me, it's the equivalent of taking off a wall, which is not going to be at all feasible in the winter. I'd rather do construction in the summer.

Thank you for the links and the picture. I LOVE the giant window. If I can sweet talk my husband into helping me, we may just do that on one side of the coop. I was hoping there is something I can buy at the hardware store and install without doing a lot of sawing. I find the more I follow exact instructions, the more likely I am to produce something recognizable.